unimatrix420 reviewed The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
A cozy read, for the most part
5 stars
This book started off very slowly and didn't really come to life until about halfway through the second part, and it gets tragic very quickly. In fact, I don't remember ever crying while reading a book before!
The book follows the lives of the residents of a small English town called Rye, where class distinctions are strictly observed and adhered to, and one's status within this community determines how well they do outside of it as well. When World War I first begins, a patriotic air grips the town, unfortunately romanticizing recruitment and dying a hero on the front lines of the battlefield. However, reality sets in when the lists of dead soldiers easily exceeds the lists of upcoming weddings in the town's newspapers, and discharged soldiers return home mentally and physically damaged by the war.
One family in particular -- that of John and Agatha Kent -- quickly becomes …
This book started off very slowly and didn't really come to life until about halfway through the second part, and it gets tragic very quickly. In fact, I don't remember ever crying while reading a book before!
The book follows the lives of the residents of a small English town called Rye, where class distinctions are strictly observed and adhered to, and one's status within this community determines how well they do outside of it as well. When World War I first begins, a patriotic air grips the town, unfortunately romanticizing recruitment and dying a hero on the front lines of the battlefield. However, reality sets in when the lists of dead soldiers easily exceeds the lists of upcoming weddings in the town's newspapers, and discharged soldiers return home mentally and physically damaged by the war.
One family in particular -- that of John and Agatha Kent -- quickly becomes a favorite. While they follow the community's classism, they do not observe these morays as religiously within the home. They are a proper but fun-loving couple tasked with raising their nephews who are fully grown at this time, one serious and shy, the other poetic and adventurous. Both answer the call of recruitment into the war for different reasons, but sadly only one comes home alive.
Readers should be warned that a dog is killed in this book towards the end. Still, despite this, the book is enjoyable with witty and engaging dialogue and a well-constructed atmosphere that Helen Simonson manages to convey in just a few simple but masterfully crafted phrases. I definitely recommend this piece!
